Chapter 24 - Alisa
I walked into Mario Ruben’s office with nonchalant confidence.
“Congratulations on your appointment, Mr. Ruben!” I said cheerily as he rose from behind my father’s desk to greet me.
My stomach twisted at the thought, but I kept the smile fixed in place. To get this man to do what I needed, I knew I had to play every card right. I had to maintain my sweetness, my innocence, my vulnerability.
“Alisa!” Mario went straight for a hug. “What a wonderful surprise.”
I stepped in for the embrace but turned slightly, giving him an awkward side hug instead. I couldn’t risk him feeling the small earpiece tucked into my ear, through which Dante could hear everything from where he was positioned outside.
“Please, sit,” Mario showed me to a chair.
I settled into the chair, and the microphone taped between my breasts pinched into my skin. I sat up straighter.
“First, let me say how deeply sorry I am about your father,” Mario said in a soft, sympathetic voice. “Marc was a dear friend and colleague. His loss has been felt by everyone in the justice department.”
I lowered my eyes, letting my lip tremble just enough. “Thank you. It’s been… difficult.”
“Of course, of course,” Mario nodded solemnly. “He was a titan in this office. I only hope I can fill even a fraction of his shoes.”
I swallowed hard, pushing down the bile that rose in my throat. This man was a fan-fucking-tastic actor, just like my father had been.
“He always spoke highly of you,” I lied, watching Mario’s eyes light up with pride. “Said you had a bright future ahead.”
“That means a lot coming from you,” Mario smiled. “Your father’s opinion meant everything to me.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, and put on a brave smile.
“How are you holding up?” Mario asked, leaning forward across his desk. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through.”
This was my opening. I let my shoulders slump slightly and lowered my gaze.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” I admitted, letting my voice tremble. “Finding out who my father really was, then losing him so violently… “ I trailed off and looked up, watching Mario’s reaction carefully.
“What do you mean, ‘who he really was’?” he asked carefully, and I saw something shift in his eyes. Almost like he’d put his guard up.
I leaned forward, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “I know things, Mario. Things about my father’s… connections. Things I wasn’t supposed to know.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Alisa, I’m not sure what you’re—”
“It’s okay,” I cut him off with a sad smile. “I’ve had time to process it all. And thankfully, I’m not alone anymore.” I twisted the wedding band on my finger, making sure he noticed the gesture. “I’ve actually gotten married since everything happened. He’s been my rock through all this.”
“Married?” Mario raised his eyebrows. “Well, congratulations. I had no idea.”
Liar.
“Thank you.” I smiled softly. “It was all very quick. But when you find someone who makes you feel safe, especially after everything… “ I let my voice trail off again, planting the seeds of my story.
“Of course,” Mario nodded, though I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes. “May I ask who the lucky man is?”
I hesitated, as if uncertain whether to share. “His name is Dante. Dante Lebedev. I don’t know if you’ve heard of his family, but… “
“Of course I know them.” He sat up straighter, almost on cue, like he had already known this and was putting on his side of the act. “I just never thought you’d end up in a family like that. Bratva, aren’t they?”
I wondered if he knew that I, too, was putting on an act.
I looked down at my hands, feigning embarrassment. “I know how it sounds. The daughter of a federal prosecutor marrying into a family like that. But Dante saved me, Mario. When my father… “ I paused, letting a tear slip down my cheek. “When my father tried to sell me to the Pavlovs.”
“What?” Mario’s shock seemed genuine, and I wondered if his whole persona was a lie.
“My father owed the Pavlovs,” I continued, my voice breaking. “He promised me as a bride to Arko Pavlov. Can you imagine? His own daughter. They’re evil, filthy men.”
Mario was silent, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Dante saved me from that fate,” I said, wiping away another tear.
“And now I’m terrified that the Pavlovs will still come for me.
That’s why I came to see you, Mario. I need to know…
will you protect me? Now that you’re in my father’s position, will you keep the Pavlovs away from me? You see, Dante isn’t that powerful… “
Mario watched me carefully. “And you think I can protect you from them?”
I let my face crumple, as if on the verge of breaking down completely. “You’re the federal prosecutor now. You have power, connections. If anyone can keep me safe from them, it’s you.” I took a shuddering breath. “Unless… unless you do their dirty bidding for them too, like my father did.”
“Alisa,” Mario said sharply. “That’s a very serious accusation.”
“I’m not accusing,” I said quickly, letting fear seep into my voice. “I just need to know where I stand. Who I can trust.”
I covered my face with my hands, my shoulders shaking with fake sobs. “I’m so scared, Mario. Every day I wake up wondering if this is the day the Pavlovs come to collect what my father promised them.”
I heard him move around the desk, felt his hand on my shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.
“Look at me, Alisa,” he said softly.
I dropped my hands, letting him see my tear-streaked face.
“The Pavlovs won’t touch you,” he said firmly. “I won’t let them.”
“How can you be sure?” I pressed, my voice small and frightened.
“Because,” he hesitated, then seemed to make a decision. “Because I have an understanding with them.”
My heart raced. There it was—the breakthrough.
“What kind of understanding?” I asked.
Mario sighed, returning to his seat behind the desk. “It’s complicated, Alisa. This city… the balance of power here… It’s not as black and white as your father pretended it was.”
“My father was a liar,” I said bitterly, allowing real anger to seep into my voice. “Whatever happened to him, he deserved it.”
The words burned coming out and weren’t entirely true, but I needed to push harder. “Whoever pulled that trigger deserves a medal, not a prison sentence.”
Mario flinched at my words, and I knew I’d struck a nerve.
“You don’t mean that,” he said softly. “He was still your father.”
“A father who was going to hand me over to monsters,” I snapped. “Tell me, Mario, what kind of father does that? He was pure evil.”
“You saw it too?” he whispered, almost to himself. Something in his tone made me sit up straighter. In that moment, I knew I was close to the truth.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen that way,” he said, almost to himself. “The plan was just to use you as leverage. Your kidnapping was meant to remind him of his place, to show him how he could lose it all if he got too daring. He was taking all the power for himself, and he was getting out of hand.”
My blood turned to ice. “You… you arranged my kidnapping?”
Mario looked at me with something close to sorrow, but I wondered if that was an act, too. “Your father was becoming too powerful, too dangerous. I needed something to control him with.”
“And my father… he never knew it was you who led that kidnapping?”
“Well, I suggested it to a crew he controlled,” Mario explained. “The Volkovs. And they told him they made a mistake. It was never brought back to me. I am… sorry, Alisa.”
“Don’t be!” I gushed, wiping at my tears as I leaned forward and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “You saved me, you know? If I hadn’t been put up at that auction, I’d have ended up with that horrible Arko Pavlov.”
He looked at me with surprise, and I pulled back my hand. My heart raced so damn fast because I knew that I was close to getting something good out of him. We had enough to get him off the job, but I still felt like there was more to the story.
“Thank you, Mario,” I said softly. “You saved my life.”
A flash of guilt crossed his face, and then Mario looked down at his hands. “I just hope… You can forgive me… “
“I’ve already forgiven you,” I said, without skipping a beat.
“No.” He shook his head. “Marc was unpredictable. He thought he could outmaneuver everyone. When he started making threats… “ He trailed off and looked up at me, pale-faced, like he’d said too much.
And this was it. My chance to drop the bomb, the hunch I’d been carrying around.
“Tell me,” I asked, leaning forward, letting my voice go cold. “His killer was never found, were they? Could it be, Mario, that you know something about it?”
Mario’s face hardened. All the nicety was wiped right off.
“I did what was necessary to restore balance. This city needs stability, Alisa. Your father was disrupting that. When he wasn’t listening, things got out of control, and yes, I had him killed. He was evil… You know that already.”
I sat there in shock, my hands trembling in my hands. Had Mario Ruben just confessed to murdering my father?
The door behind me opened suddenly, and Mario’s face went slack with shock. I turned to see my husband standing in the doorway.
“Dante Lebedev,” Mario said weakly, rising to his feet. “This is a surprise.”
“Oh?” I feigned innocence, now just to fuck with Mario. “You two know each other?”
Dante let one side of his lip curl in amusement, as though he knew I was now just getting some kicks out of this.
Mario’s eyes darted to me in panic, then back to Dante. “This was a setup.”
“You set yourself up, Mario,” I said, standing to join my husband. “We just gave you the rope.”
“You’re exactly like Marc Montes,” Dante said coldly. “The kind of man who believes his own lies. You think you’re different, better somehow. But you’re just another corrupt official who can be bought.”
“What do you want?” Mario asked, his face no longer composed.
Dante shrugged. “It’s simple. You’re going to resign. Today. And then you’re going to leave this city and never come back.”
Mario laughed bitterly. “Or what? You’ll kill me?
“We have this entire conversation recorded,” I said quietly. “And we’ll take it straight to the press. Once that happens, I don’t imagine the Pavlovs will be happy either. Neither will the people, nor the government. You’ll lose everything, Mario. You’ll end up in jail.”
The color drained from Mario’s face.
“So here’s what happens next,” Dante continued. “You announce by this evening itself that after careful consideration, you’ve decided the position isn’t the right fit. You cite personal reasons, and within 48 hours, you’re gone.”
Mario stared at us for a long moment, then slowly sank back into his chair, defeated. “I’ll be gone by tomorrow.”
“Smart choice,” Dante said, guiding me toward the door. “For what it’s worth, I hope we never see each other again.”
***
Three weeks later, I was curled up on the couch with a book when I heard Dante’s voice in the hallway. I sat up and laid aside the book just as he walked into the living room with a bottle of champagne and two glasses, grinning like a fool.
“It’s done,” he announced, kicking the door closed for privacy behind him. “The alliance pushed through our candidate. We have a new federal prosecutor—one who’s clean. Well, clean-ish, but on our side.”
I set my book aside, smiling at his enthusiasm. “No way! How did you even manage this?”
“Sergey Vadim and his brothers have direct lines to some of the most powerful people in the country. Even the Ajello’s were surprised.”
“And you all trust him?”
“The Ustinov brothers say the new prosecutor is cleaner than most they’ve seen in power. So yes, we trust him. The only deal we made is that he doesn’t come after our branch of operations. In return, we don’t abuse his power or get involved in any way.”
“I can’t believe it,” I murmured as he popped the cork.
“It’s all worked out at last,” he smiled, pouring me a glass. “Your father and Mario were both corrupt to the core. This guy has principles and lines he won’t cross. I like the sound of him.”
He handed me a glass and settled beside me on the couch, his arm automatically sliding around my shoulders.
“To new beginnings,” he said, raising his glass.
I clinked mine against his. “To doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.”
His eyes softened as he looked at me. “You were amazing in there with Mario. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder.”
I took a sip of champagne. “We make a good team.”
“The best,” he agreed, pulling me closer.